Leon Camier confirms Honda wants to keep Iker Lecuona, Xavi Vierge

Despite a poor start to the 2023 WorldSBK season, Lecuona and Vierge remain in the mix to stay at the Japanese manufacturer, while other names continue to be linked with their seats.

One of those is Michael Ruben Rinaldi, who appears set to leave the Aruba.it Ducati team. 

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But Camier confirmed that Honda wants to keep both riders, saying this to Corsedimoto.com: "Our goal is to continue with both riders. It will take some time, because now we are working on the Suzuka 8 Hours."

Camier also admitted that Honda are hoping to have a brand new bike, although it might not arrive for the 2024 season.

"There could be something in the pipeline but I don't know if it will be next year. Maybe something will happen. 

"There are several changes we would like, but the rules limit us. A new production motorcycle is very expensive to develop. 

"It takes millions to change something on the engine and chassis. If the market is down, Honda has no interest in launching a new model."

Since returning to the series as a full factory team, Honda has consistently struggled to close the gap to the likes of Ducati, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

Unlike their MotoGP project which is spearheaded by Stefan Bradl with regards to the testing program, Honda’s Superbike test team runs solely in Japan which is something that the Team HRC boss would like to see change.

"We don't do tests in Europe," added Camier. "We have a tester in Japan and the parts are tested there before being delivered to us. It would be useful to have a tester in Europe."